Heartland Community College
Student Course Syllabus
Division name: Business
Course Prefix and number: OTEC 118
Course Title: Machine Transcription/Proofreading
DATE PREPARED: March 15, 1993
DATE REVISED:
PCS/CIP/ID NO.: 12-520204-03
IAI NO. (If available):
EFFECTIVE DATE OF FIRST CLASS: October 1, 1993
CREDIT HOURS: 3
CONTACT HOURS:
LECTURE HOURS: 3
LABORATORY HOURS:
DAYS & TIMES COURSE MEET: Thursdays 6:00 PM to 8:50 PM, ICB 2301
CATALOG DESCRIPTION (Include specific prerequisites):
Prerequisite: OTEC 102 or OTEC 103.
This course assists the student in developing the necessary skills on a transcribing machine to
produce business correspondence with speed and accuracy. In addition, students will learn
proofreading techniques and skills in locating errors.
INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION
Instructor’s Name: Lori B. Wagner, BSN, RN Office #: ICB 2420
Office Phone: (309)268-8745
Cell Phone: (309)397-4441 (please call before 9 PM)
Instructor’s E-mail: lori.wagner@heartland.edu
Office Hours: Mondays 9 AM to noon, Tuesdays and Thursdays 11 AM to 2 PM and as
arranged.
TEXTBOOK(S):
Mitchell, C. (2003). Machine Transcription. A Comprehensive Approach for
Today’s Office Professional, 4th edition. Glencoe/McGraw-Hill.
RELATIONSHIP TO ACADEMIC DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS AND
TRANSFERABILITY: (Indicate if course is General Education/IAI)
Business ranks communication skills high on the list of desirable qualities necessary for job
success. In order to be an effective communicator, a person must possess good proofreading
ability. This course will enable students to recognize errors quickly and make appropriate
corrections.
Transcribing is one of the most challenging secretarial skills. It involves a combination of: word
processing, keyboarding, grammar and punctuation, formatting principles, critical thinking,
proofreading, following instructions, and careful listening. Students will transcribe documents
from various areas of business and will also work with medical and legal transcription.
COURSE OBJECTIVES (Learning Outcomes):
After completing this course, the student will be able to:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Transcribe business letters, reports and memos using dictation/transcription equipment.
Follow appropriate document styles and formatting techniques.
Proofread and edit copy in order to produce error-free documents.
Consult reference manuals used by machine transcriptions, including company procedure
manuals, zip code books, and dictionaries used in specialized fields, such as medical and
legal.
Practice good listening techniques in order to produce accurate copy.
COURSE/LAB OUTLINE:
1.
2.
3.
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6.
Study language skills, including proper grammar, punctuation, capitalization, and use of
numbers.
Introduce machine transcription, including the equipment.
Review the dictation/transcription process.
Define machine transcription terminology.
Practice transcribing a variety of realistic communications from business firms.
Use a reference manual to determine acceptable letter, memorandum, and report styles.
METHOD OF EVALUATION (Tests/Exams, Grading System):
The final grade in this course will be determined by the following approximate percentages:
Proofreading Exercises
Transcription Exercises
Attendance
Final Examination
30%
50%
10%
10%
REQUIRED WRITING AND READING:
Required reading includes class textbook and additional readings assigned in class. Writing is
required on exams and other exercises assigned. Writing assignments may include, but not
limited to, analyses of professional documentation, research papers, assigned discussion
questions and analysis of proofreading exercises. In all, students will be writing the equivalent
of a 10 -12 page paper either as one paper or over the duration of the semester.
Students should read the required readings, which may include textbook chapters and/or
supplemental readings. Chapters are approximately 20-30 pages, and supplementary readings
may be up to fifteen pages. Supplemental readings may include short articles taken from
chapters of textbooks, professional journals and magazines, newspapers, popular magazines, and
the Internet.
Instructor’s Role: The instructor is the facilitator to learning and has the responsibilities and
obligations of:
· Developing various methods of presentation in order to be effective to as many students
as possible. www.varklearning.org
· Being organized and prepared for each class session; returning assignments within a
reasonable amount of time.
· Encouraging class participation.
· Challenging students to work to their fullest potential
· Working with students when they need extra help.
· Applying the course material to current trends within the industry.
Make-up of tests and assignments: Is a student knows ahead of time they will miss an exam,
they will be given the opportunity to take this exam prior to the rest of the class. However, if
student fails to make arrangements prior to scheduled exam, this will result in a 0 for said exam.
Deadlines: Please pay attention to the due dates for all assignments. Due dates are strictly held
to. If you need an extension for an assignment you will need to speak with the instructor prior to
the assignment due date.
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: OTEC 118 adheres to the academic integrity policies of Heartland
Community College.
Academic Integrity and Plagiarism
Academic Integrity
Academic integrity is a fundamental principle of collegial life at Heartland Community College
and is essential to the credibility of the College’s educational programs. Moreover, because
grading may be competitive, students who misrepresent their academic work violate the right of
their fellow students. The College, therefore, views any act of academic dishonest as a serious
offense requiring disciplinary measures, including course failure, suspension, and even expulsion
from the College. In addition, an act of academic dishonesty may have unforeseen effects far
beyond any officially imposed penalties.
Violations of academic integrity include, but are not limited to cheating, aiding or suborning
cheating or other acts of academic dishonesty, plagiarism, misrepresentation of data, falsification
of academic records or documents and unauthorized access to computerized academic or
administrative records or systems. Definitions of these violations may be found in the college
catalog.
“I am aware of and agree to abide by the college policies for academic integrity. I understand
that any academic dishonesty, including but not limited to, allowing others to gain access to my
myHeartland account and course work, complete my assignment for me, or access or complete
my tests is reason for failure in this course and may result in serious disciplinary measures.”
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is the presenting of others’ ideas as if they were your own. When you write a paper,
create a project, do a presentation or create anything original, it is assumed that all the work,
except for that which is attributed to another author or creator, is your own. Plagiarism is
considered a serious academic offense and may take the following forms:
· Copying word-for-word from another source and not giving that source credit.
· Paraphrasing the work of another and not giving that source credit.
· Adopting a particularly apt phrase as your own.
· Using an image or a copy of an image without crediting its source.
· Paraphrasing someone else’s line of thinking in the development of a topic as if it
were your own.
· Receiving excessive help from a friend or elsewhere, or using another project as if it
were your own.
[Adapted from the Modern Language Association’s MLA Handbook for Writers of Research
Papers. New York: MLA, 1995: 26]
Note that word-for-word copying is not the only form of plagiarism. The penalties for plagiarism
may be severe, ranging from failure on the particular piece of work, failure in the course or
expulsion from school in extreme cases.
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Many plagiarism problems can be remedied by citing the sources of the
original work.
When in doubt, cite the source according to the style your instructor
directs. Usually this is APA or MLA Style.
Don’t be daunted by citing sources which are not books. You can cite
everything – including pamphlets, maps, cereal boxes, telephone
conversations, movies, television shows, Internet and world-wide web
sites.
Most cases of plagiarism arise from carelessness or haste.
Violators often attempt to excuse themselves by saying that they were not
told of the nature of plagiarism. You have been told.
You must not include either the phrases or ideas of another writer in your
papers without acknowledgment. Otherwise, you are stealing. Plagiarism
is dishonest. It is cheating and is subject to severe penalties. It may
endanger your whole career. Don’t do it.
Support Services:
Heartland Library Information http://www.heartland.edu/library
The Library, located in the Students Commons Buildings at the Raab Road campus, provides
Heartland students with a full range of resources including books, online journal databases,
videos, newspapers, periodicals, reserves, and interlibrary loan. Librarians are available to assist
in locating information.
For more information please call the Library (309) 268-8200 or (309) 268-8292
Tutoring and Academic Support
Heartland Community College offers learning assistance in various forms at no cost to Heartland
students at the Academic Support Center (ASC) in Normal and at the Pontiac and Lincoln
Centers. Tutors are available at convenient times throughout the week. Study groups, group
tutoring facilitated by a specially-trained tutor, are also available by request. Help is also
provided through instructional materials, study skills workshops, open computing, and the
Library. For more information about services available at each location, please call the ASC in
Normal at (309) 268-8235, the Pontiac Center (815) 842-6777; or the Lincoln Center (217) 7351731.
Testing Center Lab www.heartland.edu/asc/testing
The Testing Center proctors make-up exams for students enrolled in traditional courses. In
addition, regularly scheduled exams for alternative delivery courses are also proctored at this
Center. Exams are proctored free of charge in a secure and quite environment. For more
information about exam proctoring services contact the Testing Center at (309) 268-8231.
Open Computing Lab
www.heartland.edu/asc/computerlab
The Open Computing Lab provides free computing for HCC students at convenient times
throughout the week. The computer lab is staffed by trained Lab Assistants and offers the use of
approximately 70 computers, a scanner, a laser printer, and an electric typewriter.
Notice of Cancelled Class Sessions
Cancelled class sessions, for all HCC classes, will be listed under Cancelled Class Meetings in
the A-Z Index and under Academic Information in the Current Students page on the HCC Web
site. Go to http://www.heartland.edu/classCancellations/ to learn what classes have been
cancelled for that day and the upcoming week. Be sure to check the last column, which might
contain a message from the instructor.
Week One
August 19, 2010
Course Content:
Part 1 Orientation to Machine Transcription
Section 1 You-A Machine Transcriptionist
Section 2 Machine Transcription – On the Job
Section 3 Transcribing Techniques
Reading Assignment:
Read pages 1 to 40 from Mitchell text.
Learning Activities:
Reference Exercise on pp 39-40 from Mitchell text.
Week Two
August 26, 2010
Course Content:
Part 1 Orientation to Machine Transcription
Section 4 Effective Listening
Section 5 Dictation
Reading Assignment:
Read pages 41 to 57.
Learning Activities:
Listening Exercises, pp. 49-52 (use section 1 CD for audio)
Dictation Exercises, p. 58.
Week Three
September 2, 2010
Course Content:
Part 2
Transcription Lessons
Section 1 Punctuation, Word Study, Proofreading
Section 2 Punctuation, Word Study and Transcription Guidelines
Reading Assignment:
Read pages 59 to 77.
Learning Activities:
Pre-Transcription Training Assignment p. 59 (Use Section 1 and 2 CD)
Proofreading Exercises p. 60, 67-72.
Spelling Test 1 (Complete test prior to transcribing dictation for Section 1)
Section 1 Dictation (Go to CD Section 1)
Section 2 Word Study Test 1
Section 2 Exercises pp 79-81.
Week Four
September 9, 2010
Course Content:
Part 2
Section 3 Punctuation, Word Study and Transcription Guidelines
Reading Assignment:
Read pages 85 to 90.
Learning Activities:
Proofreading Exercises pages 91-96.
Spelling Test 3
Dictation Section 3 (CD for Section 3)
Week Five
September 16, 2010
Course Content:
Section 4 Punctuation, Word Study and Transcription Guidelines
Reading Assignment:
Read pages 85 to 90 and 97 to 99 (Mitchell text)
Learning Activities:
Proofreading Exercises pages 101-104.
Spelling Test 4
Dictation Section 4 (CD for Section 4)
Week Six
September 23, 2010
Course Content:
Section 5 Punctuation Review, Word Study, Spelling Review, Transcription Guidelines
Reading Assignment:
Read pages 105 to 113
Learning Activities:
Complete Punctuation Word Study, Proofreading located on pages 115-118 (Mitchell text).
Spelling Test 5
Section 5 Dictation (Go to CD Section 5)
Week Seven
September 30, 2010
Course Content:
Section 6 Word Study and Spelling Review.
Reading Assignment:
Read pages 121.
Learning Activities:
Complete the Word Study and Proofreading Exercises on pages 123-126.
Spelling Test 6
Section 6 Dictation
Week Eight
October 7, 2010
Course Content:
Midterm (Cumulative Exam)
Section 7 Punctuation Review, Word Study, Spelling Review
Reading Assignment:
Read pages 127-128.
Learning Activities:
Complete the Punctuation, Word Study and Proofreading Exercises located on pages 131-136.
Spelling Test 7
Section 7 Dictation
Week Nine
October 14, 2010
Course Content:
Section 8 Word Study and Spelling Review
Reading Assignment:
Read pages 137-38.
Learning Activities:
Complete the Word Study and Proofreading Exercises on pages 141-144.
Spelling Test 8
Section 8 Dictation.
Week Nine
October 21, 2010
Course Content:
Section 9 Punctuation Review, Word Study, Spelling Review & Transcription Guidelines
Reading Assignment:
Read pages 146-48.
Learning Activities:
Complete the Punctuation, Word Study & Proofreading Exercises located on pages 149-154.
Spelling Test 9
Section 9 Dictation
Week Ten
October 28, 2010
Course Content:
Section 10 Word Study, Spelling Review and Transcription Guidelines
Reading Assignment:
Read pages 155-57.
Learning Activities:
Complete exercises on pages 159 to 164.
Spelling test 10
Section 10 dictation.
Week Eleven (Please note we jump a few chapters aheadJ)
November 4, 2010
Course Content:
Section 14 Punctuation Review, Word Study, Spelling Review
Reading Assignment:
Read pages 193-95.
Learning Activities:
Complete exercises on pages 197-202.
Spelling Test 14
Section 14 Dictation
Week Twelve
November 11, 2010
Course Content:
Section 15 Spelling Review
Reading Assignment:
Read Chapter 1 AHDI’s Book of Style.
Learning Activities:
Complete exercises 205-208.
Spelling Test 15
Section 15 Dictation
Week Thirteen
November 18, 2010
Course Content:
Section 16 Spelling Review
Reading Assignment:
No reading this week.
Learning Activities:
Complete Exercises on pages 211-214.
Spelling Test 16
Section 16 Dictation
Week Fourteen
HAPPY THANKSGIVING
Week Fifteen
December 2, 2010
Course Content
Formatting legal documents
Reading Assignment:
Read Chapter 1 in Legal Terminology for Transcription & Court Reporting Edition 1
Learning Activities:
Complete exercises on pages 231-234
Spelling Test 19
Section 19 Dictation
Week Sixteen
December 9, 2010
FINAL EXAM (cumulative)